her determination
by darkangel of silence
Summary: Im supposed to be cold, right? Ugh, but that feels wrong! Its not like Im mad at him or something! But,wait, Ive gota push him away just like everyone else. I have to make him think I dont care about him  that I dont want to be with him.is tis wat shethin
1. Chapter 1:baka

**Disclaimer: Okay, the characters are NOT MINE (I really don't want any FBI people showing up at my house because people think I stole this!) !!! Higuchi Tachibana owns all rights to all characters, I just made the storyline. NO SUING ME (lol)!**

If you have any comments/suggestions/questions/etc email me: Warning: This chapter has a fight scene. It doesn't have a lot of blood and no one dies or anything, but it's very action-packed and does have injuries, including a stab to the stomach. You've been warned! Brushing a wisp of her snow covered black hair behind her ear, Imai Hotaru continued to fiddle away at one of her most prized inventions. Much to her displeasure, the motorized white duck's engine couldn't be. This was bad, the snow around her was piling up and she was at least three miles from camp. At seventeen, she and her four classmates were in a dilemma only two days into their first mission. This would not make the academy very happy...

Now her fingers were going numb, her body growing weak, and her vision growing blurry. Struggling to stand from her kneeling position, she lifted her thick hood and secured her newest invention: night and heat goggles. With the foliage blocking out any light the moon might have offered (yet somehow letting in the snow), she could do nothing but scoop up her mobile-bird and stomp through the slush. Imai adjusted her goggles to heat mode and tried to keep her eyes on her feet so as to see the branches and roots that could so easily trip her.

With a sigh, Sakura Mikan folded the map and passed it to Sumire, who was endeavoring to get Hyuuga Natsume's attention by batting her eyes and flipping her curly hair. She hardly glanced the paper before passing it on to Nogi Ruka, who was entertaining a small wolf cub by playfully batting it with a stick. He studied the inscriptions more closely, but they all knew that Hotaru was the navigator. If only she would get back already...

"We're almost out," Natsume murmured, indicating the few pieces of wood remaining. He stood to walk away from the camp without explaining himself, but no words were expected. It was one of the first rules of survival: always have the necessary provisions well before they are needed. Ruka stood too; he turned to the two young women and gave a quick nod.

"We'll be back soon," he assured with a smile. Sumire watched them leave longingly, knowing she couldn't accompany them. Another rule: at least two people watched the base at all times. Mikan stood and stretched. She stepped over to the supplies and began to prepare a quick meal for when they returned.

Sumire was just thinking how tense Mikan looked; it occurred to her that it was her job to take Mikan's mind off trivial matters and keep her focused on the mission ahead. Hotaru was the mission leader, followed by Natsume, Ruka, and herself, with Mikan withholding the lowest rank (though she was quite certain this had more to do with Jinno-sensei's disapproval than Mikan's ability). She knew Mikan well enough to know how to assure her of Hotaru's safety. It was her duty with the rest of the group gone, wasn't it? She grinned and turned to her.

"Hotaru sure is taking a long time," Sumire noted. Mikan nodded and hid her concern by turning her back to Sumire as she worked. "I wonder if she's hurt or something. Then again, it is Hotaru, so I'm sure she's fine. And she has that duck-thing, too, so she can fly here if she needs to." Mikan nodded again and turned back to Sumire.

"She's too tough to be beaten by the weather," Mikan reasoned aloud, "I have no reason to worry for her." Hotaru was her best friend, after all. If she couldn't trust her to gather some fire wood, what kind of friend was she? Dropping a few fish into a skillet, Mikan turned to Sumire and asked her to monitor things while Mikan rested for an hour or so.

The entire group hadn't slept for over 48 hours. Mikan had just returned from yet another near fatal encounter when the mission was assigned, leaving her the most weary of them all. Sumire nodded, and Mikan slowly slid into her sleeping bag, which was actually Hotaru's caterpillar shelter, and fell asleep.

With no trace of feeling in her hands and little in her face, Hotaru was struggling much more than any of the others thought. Eyeing a marker she had left behind while travelling away from the camp, she realized just how far she still was. It would take at least another hour, maybe two at this rate, and she wasn't certain how much longer her legs would hold out.

Pulling out the strengthening drink Anna had prepared before they left, she sipped it carefully. She knew she needed to ration it; much harder events would lie ahead. She trudged forward, yearning for warm fire and briefly thinking that if she didn't make it back, poor Mikan would cry.

Natsume and Ruka had returned nearly an hour before Mikan even woke up, and now both Sumire and Natsume were fast asleep. Ruka was on watch but facing away from Mikan, so he didn't realize she was awake. After a quick overview Mikan had gathered that Hotaru wasn't back yet. Standing to her feet, she silently slipped away from the group undetected and even managed to grab a piece of the cooked meat.

_This is very, very bad,_ she thought with a shiver. Hotaru should have returned two hours ago. The snow that covered every inch of the ground worried Mikan dearly. Taking a quick glance behind her to make sure no one was looking, she rushed back into the woods. She was certain Hotaru had gone to the place they had passed the day before. The wood there was perfect, after all, and it was only three miles away. Mikan's pace through the snow reflected her good training.

Twenty minutes later, Ruka turned to see Natsume stirring and slowly standing up. They both realized what the empty sack meant at the same time. Hearing a twig snap, they turned to see Hotaru stepping into the camp. Ruka jumped up just in time to catch her as she collapsed forward.

Sumire woke at the scent of Hotaru. She grabbed the potions their schoolmates made and rushed to Hotaru's side. The two were far too busy tending to her to notice Natsume's absence until much later. Natsume, on the other hand, was too concerned for Mikan's safety and jogged out of the camp without bothering to tell them where he was going.

Almost there, Mikan thought, periodically flexing her fingers to keep the blood moving. She thought it would take her half an hour, at least, but her anticipation must have spurned her on for she was already entering the band of trees that were somehow dry and untouched. With a brief smile, Mikan called Hotaru's name.

No answer.

Well, she was half expecting that. If Hotaru had been in a condition to answer, she would have been back at the camp. Keeping her pace, she went through the greenery, somehow perceiving Hotaru wasn't there, but that something definitely was. She slowed her pace to a quick walk, glancing around. She felt the presence of something that she now knew was very sinister. _Hotaru ...! I hope she's alright!_

Out of nowhere four guards jumped at her. They were dressed in all white, and thus easily masked in every part of the forest save this one. Instantly, one was lunging to her. _Dodge left, block right, low right spin kick._ She tripped one of them while the other three came at her. She sprinted to the only opening in sight, but they pursued her and were just as fast.

Twisting around and delivering a quick side kick to one, Mikan blocked a fist holding a dagger that was aimed at her neck. She caught someone's leg, using her spinning momentum to flip him backwards. The fact that her alice couldn't be used in battle like the rest of her classmates had given her the incentive to learn how to fight. Four on one was unpromising, though, even after four years of practice with one of Japan's top martial artists.

Another guard jumped at her back and grabbed her neck. Mikan elbowed him hard in his rib and turned towards him to deliver a quick flat hand to his nose. She wasn't one to kill, but he was knocked out cold. One down. Spinning back to the others, she barely dodged a dagger that was flying towards her face. They had moved close to thick brush, and she had a few ideas that could turn the battle to her advantage. If they would just give her two seconds to grab her shurikens… But they were at her again, and this time she only managed to dodge two as the third sliced her cheek with his knife. _Switch blades are so cheap, show a little honor!_

Biding her time, she waited for one of them to make a mistake that she could use to her advantage. _Two down now, things are easier. Dodge, dodge, block, kick._ Using their split-second pause to pull out two of her cherished weapons, she took a traditional fighting stance. One of them, obviously less experienced, rushed at her and she instantly knocked him out. _One more. But this one… He has a grin, like he's enjoying this, sick jerk. And I can tell by the way he fights that he's just messing around, is he trying to taunt me?_

"Well done, well done. Now it's just one on one, isn't it? Shall we, then?" Lips curling a bit, he pulled out two seemingly short daggers, but Mikan wasn't fooled. She saw them when searching for a set of new shurikens. They had a small trigger at the base that would make them expand. And if he thought he was going to beat her with those, he was going to have a rude awakening. If she could defeat men with full katanas, defeating a fake with an evil grin that really ticked her off wouldn't be a problem.

He lunged at her, but she quickly dodged and judged the distance of his hidden swords easily. After fighting all four, fighting one was a pleasant change. _"No slacking off,"_ she could hear her shishou saying. Note: Shishou is a name used for a martial arts expert/teacher.

A quick block to her left followed by an attempted jab to her right, then came her flaw. As she had spun to block, her foot had snagged on a root and her ankle had twisted. The trigger was pressed, and her escape was too late. A slice ran across her right arm, immobilizing it and making her rely only on her left. Within seconds she had been flipped around, the man's dagger-turned-sword at her neck, a sneer across his lips.

"You've failed, and now those of us on the other side can use your power. It's a good thing I thought to slow down that girl, it lured you out ever so nicely." Turning Mikan around to face him, he forced her usable hand to drop its shuriken. _How dare he endanger Hotaru, and just to get me here!_ Her lame hand flew up and stabbed him in the stomach at the perfect spot. Not a killing wound, but at least one that would keep him in one place for awhile.

"You… you don't know the truth yet, then?" He forced a weak laugh. "Friends are foes and foes are friends, my dear, and I'm not the only one looking for you. You'll be chased for the rest of your life." Unwilling to show her surprise at his words, Mikan pulled her shuriken back and turned to leave. She paused only for a moment to offer her calm threat.

"If you ever so much as _look_ at her again, I won't be as merciful." She walked away from her battle scene, knowing that she had to find Hotaru and get back soon, but how? With her ankle she wouldn't be much help to Hotaru, anyways. She was having trouble stepping through the snow. _So much for keeping my pace._

Natsume came upon the site with much shock and concern. He didn't recognize any of the four men, but he recognized the handiwork. All of them would live, he knew, but one had a serious injury. Following the footprints that left them, he noted that one side of them was somewhat smudged, like she was dragging her foot along. This couldn't be good, he had to find her fast and get her back to the camp. Thinking that one of Hotaru's flying inventions would have been really nice about now, he sprinted along the tracks, knowing the falling snow would cover them soon.

Back at the camp, Hotaru was slowly waking up. Instantly noticing that there was no smiling Mikan looking down at her, she pushed herself into a sitting position. Sumire was on watch, Ruka sleeping. Glancing Hotaru, she rushed to her and tried to get her to lie back down, but the girl wouldn't be quieted.

"Where is she? She didn't… Please say she didn't go looking for me in this weather." Raising a shaky hand to cover her mouth, she whispered "baka" under her breath.

"Don't worry Hotaru, Natsume's already went after her, I'm sure she's fine. She's capable of protecting herself, you know? I know you can't help but worry, but at least know that she's in good hands, Natsume wouldn't let anything happen to her." Hotaru wasn't listening. She had grabbed her bag and pulled out a mini- computer, pressing the button with an "M" on it.

A quick beep, and then a map appeared, a flashing light showing her where Mikan was. There were lines underneath the map, too:

"Position: 2.79 miles SSE. Speed: Stationary. Status: Alive."

She pressed "N" and another light began flashing.

"Position: 2.83 miles SSE. Speed: 4.6 mph SSE. Status: Alive." She breathed a sigh and slowly settled back down. They were close, it wouldn't take him long to get her back.

Mikan's vision was blurry and her entire body felt completely numb. She had collapsed after only a little walking, and somehow her body couldn't bring itself to move. She had to get back, she knew, but in her condition there was no way she could. It occurred to her that leaving without telling anyone where she was going had really been pretty stupid, and a slight smile flickered across her lips at the thought of Hotaru telling her so.

Feeling herself drifting in and out of consciousness, she was about to allow her eyes to close when she saw something pass in front of them. _No… Who now? Friend? Foe…? I can't fight them now……… Gotta … get…… back…_ Someone was picking her up, and she could barely feel them speaking, saying something, but she couldn't respond. She didn't know if they were one of the group or someone else, but she could feel warmth and that was enough.

As they walked, she felt her body slowly revive, like she was waking from a dream. The strange battle came back slowly, and those words… "You'll be chased for the rest of your life." Who was he talking about? She carefully opened her eyes, but upon seeing Natsume carrying her she allowed them to close again. She was safe, she would be okay.

But how long would she be able to stay with them? Her friends… Her dear friends would be put into grave danger. If only she was stronger, faster, braver, more capable. Angry tears welled up in her eyes, their warmth spilling onto her cheeks. She leaned closer to Natsume and he looked down, surprised that she was awake. Slowing to a walk, he looked around them. Cave, a few hundred feet west of them. Hoping there wouldn't be any dangerous inhabitants, he headed in its direction.

Even after settling into the small cave and being warmed by a Natsume-made fire, Mikan wouldn't speak. She stared into the ember flames, annoyed at herself for making such a silly mistake in her previous battle and frustrated with the fact that she had to rely on someone else, even if it was Natsume. Granted, of the group she felt more comfortable relying on him than the rest, maybe excluding Hotaru, and she knew she could trust him to take care of her, but that was the agitating part. She didn't want him to have to take care of her, she wanted to be strong enough to take care of herself.

Why couldn't she have a more useful alice? It obviously hadn't done her any good in the previous battle, especially since none of them seemed to have an alice to begin with. Drifting into her thoughts, she didn't notice Natsume calling her until his third attempt.

"Nani o?" She instantly winced at the annoyance in her voice. It wasn't his fault she was so incompetent, it was pointless to take out her anger on him.

"Sorry…" she whispered, not that he had seemed offended to begin with.

"How did you get those cuts?" He stepped over to her, carefully removing the bandage around her arm and reaching into his pockets to grab something for her face. "Why didn't you clean them properly?" He gave her a cold stare, but she had known him long enough to know he was just worried.

"Gomenne, I was trying to get back, but my an-" "It was foolish of you to go out on your own! Stop being such a baka all the time, you're going to get someone killed! This isn't a game, Mikan!" She pulled her arm away, frustrated with his tone but somehow seeing it to her advantage. _The farther I get from them, the better, ne? Sorry, Natsume!_

"I can take care of myself, Natsume! I don't need you to-"

"Yeah, that's obvious." _He's getting mad and I know I'm out of line, but… _"You were sure doing great when I found you buried in snow twenty minutes ago!"

"I could have gotten back, I was just taking a rest!"

"Baka! You would've died and you know it!" She couldn't respond. He was really angry, now, and obviously he would be. He had just saved her life and she was showing no appreciation whatsoever. Her pride wouldn't allow her to apologize, so she looked away as he hastily grabbed her arm and began cleaning it again. Amazing, he was incredibly mad at her and yet he was extremely gentle with her cut, being sure to put the antiseptic on slowly so it wouldn't hurt as much. When he was done, he stood.

"We've rested here long enough, better get back." He offered his hand, but she ignored it. Not to snub him, but because she was determined to stop relying on others, especially him, from now on. She couldn't help but think that she'd have to get away from them soon, just to keep them from danger. Natsume caught a glimpse of another tear in her eye, but she turned away and willed the tears away. No more crying. No more relying. Maybe even no more friends. She couldn't risk it, they were too important.

She wondered silently if they would ever understand that the reason she was pushing them away was not because she wanted to, but because she had to. She would protect them and their happiness at all costs. It suddenly occurred to her that she was going to have to be completely and entirely alone, that she shouldn't have contact with anyone at all for their own safety.

As Natsume turned to leave, she went to follow, only to fall nearly instantly when she tried to put pressure on her right leg, pain lacing from her ankle up to her thigh. She caught herself on the wall of the cave, trying to right herself quickly. Could she keep up this facade? It was going to be much harder than she'd thought to stop relying on others...

Warming her hands at the fire, Sakura Mikan shoved her nearly-waist-length light brown hair into a quick ponytail, knowing it would make her colder but needing to be able to examine the small map she and her companions had been given. _Honestly,_ she thought, _What's Hotaru doing out there? It's been nearly two hours already, and she just went to grab some wood… Granted, the only dry wood we've come across was a few miles back, but it still shouldn't take this long!_ A bit worried, she leaned farther over the map, memorizing the geography. 


	2. Chapter 2:hidden motives

Chapter Two: Hidden Motives

**Disclaimer: Okay, the characters are NOT MINE (I really don't want any FBI people showing up at my house because people think I stole this!) !!! Higuchi Tachibana owns all rights to all characters, I just made the storyline. NO SUING ME (lol)!**

If you have any comments/suggestions/questions/etc email me: Warning: Umm... Well, just in case anyone's young out there, there's a broken bone in this chapter.Mikan had gotten lucky, Natsume was too focused on what was in front of him to see her fault. Following his gaze, her eyes widened in shock at the immensity of the storm now bearing down upon the little cave. She leaned out, noticing for the first time that they weren't under the cover of trees.

"Ow!" She yelped, Natsume bending to pick up the penny-sized piece of ice that had rammed her head.

"...Hail. Get inside." She didn't need urging and was already limping back to their burnt-out fire. She sat down, a little worried as to what he was going to say about her handicap, but he either hadn't noticed or was ignoring the matter entirely.

Finally, at nearly midnight, Natsume laid to sleep, agreeing to let her have first watch. Mikan had barely waited fifteen minutes when she began unwrapping her ankle. She hadn't been able to see it well earlier, but now everything was clear. It was not a twist or even a sprain, but a devastating break, and she cringed at the thought of how long it would be before it healed completely. Her only comfort was that it was a completely clean break, as far as she could tell, and that made things a bit simpler.

Natsume, watching her with eyes that appeared to be closed in the fire-lit darkness, was taken aback. Her ankle was swollen (KANKLES! Sorry, had to say that... . gal) and definitely in pretty bad shape, and he was about to say so when he heard her intake of breath. She grabbed her foot, clenching one eyelid closed. _This is it, _Mikan thought. _No turning back now... If I'm only going to rely on me, then this is _it.

Swallowing hard, she looked away and quickly snapped the bone back into place. She gasped in pain and leaned forward, both hands clutching the fixed sever as tears of pain, agony, and understanding of her predicament splashed off her nose.

Pushing himself into a sitting position, Natsume could do nothing but stare. Mikan crying wasn't unusual - when she had first come to the academy, she was a complete crybaby - but he had never seen her like this. At first glance, she was mearly shedding tears because of her ankle, and rightly so, but as he watched her he noticed that she wasn't squeezing her eyes shut like she was in pain. They were wide open, gazing at the ground in a daze, a million emotions reflected in them.

Fear, anger, hope, and a grim realization followed by a choked-back sob and an unseeing gaze of complete loneliness. He wanted to comfort her, to say something - anything - but now determination was showing in her features, and he knew that, no matter what he said, her stubborness would win. He knew her well enough to understand that, if nothing else. It was one of Mikan's biggest strengths, yet he feared it would be her downfall.

She roughly wiped her face, closing her eyes and taking a short but concentrated breath. When they opened again, no hint of the conflicting emotions could be found.

The sun arose slowly and gracefully, spreading its light across the horizon and creating bright blue and pink streaks in the morning sky. Mikan woke to the smell of breakfast and yawned sleepily before sitting up and eyeing the fish Natsume had skewered over the fire. Judging by the height of the sun, she calculated the time to be about half past seven. She silently scolded herself for sleeping in so late - _Shishou taught me better!_ - and lifted herself from the cave floor. She stretched, turned to Natsume and was about to give him a warm welcome when she paused. Flipping back around, she began to argue within herself.

_Wait… I'm supposed to be cold, right? Ugh, but that just feels wrong! It's not like I'm mad at him or something! But, wait, I've gotta push him away just like everyone else. I have to make him think I don't care about him - that I don't want to be with him anymore. Gah, but I just CAN'T do that!!! I know I should, but I just can't, there's got to be some other way… Or… Maybe that guy was wrong. Yeah, maybe no one will follow me. Maybe I'm not really the target - I bet he got me mixed up with Hotaru or something. And there's no way I'll leave her if she's in trouble! Come on, Mikan, pull it together, this is your best friend!!!_

Somewhat convinced - though falsely, - Mikan turned back with a full smile, ready to give Natsume his greeting.

Only, he wasn't there.

She turned around again, looking into the darkness, but he wasn't even back in the cave. Trying to shove down her chills, she stepped out into the sunshine, looking all around her. Nothing. And the fish was still burning over the fire, too. _Where could he have possibly went? He was just there!_ Starting to get worried, she turned to step back into the cave and-

_WHAM!_ Mikan fell to the ground with a crash, the knot on her head slowly beginning to form.

With a gasp, Natsume woke and jumped straight up, only to fall back down as dizziness filled his senses. Giving his mind a moment to clear, he gingerly looked around, trying to get a bearing on his surroundings. His first thought was Sakura Mikan's safety. - Was she there? Had they captured her, too? If yes, where was she? And if not, was she okay? - His thoughts raced until he felt himself growing dizzy again. Trying to push the pressing questions away, he reasoned with himself. _Even if she's here, there's not much you can do unless you can escape yourself. Worry about that, first._

Carefully climbing to his feet, he again observed the setting around him. It was a small square cellar, maybe 10 feet across, made completely of stone. There was a single window with metal bars keeping him locked in. He could see the grass behind them, so he knew he was mostly underground. There was also one door, metal, with a small barred opening in the top. He stepped up to it and peered through.

There were two other visible doors in the short stone hallway. He looked up and down the corridor but saw no one. "Mikan!" He whispered urgently. For all he knew, she was knocked out in one of the other cellars. "Mikan!" He tried again.

No response.

With a sigh he turned back to his prison, but then he heard a shuffle behind him.

"Are you looking for someone, boy?" It was a women's voice - though it wasn't Mikan's - and he rushed back to the bars.

"Yes! Her name is Mikan and she's about 5'3" and has long brown hair and is wearing a-"

"There's no one else here," she interrupted, speaking firmly. "We are the only prisoners. And if they've captured you then it must mean that you have something they want. What's your alice, child?"

Slightly annoyed that she kept treating him like a kid - but too curious to care - Natsume quickly raised his hand, preparing to give her a quick demonstration.

Only nothing happened.

He tried again, this time focusing and wondering if maybe he was more tired than he thought. Still nothing. Sweat was beading on his chin as he went for a third attempt.

"It would be better if you just tell me what it is, I don't have the strength to keep canceling it."

"W-wait a sec, why would you be canceling it?" And _how_ would she be canceling it? This all seemed a little too familiar…

"Well, how good would it be if they not only saw your alice, but in seeing it discovered that you were awake and ready to use it? They would have you doing their bidding instantly. And you don't want that, I presume?"

"…And… What is _your_ alice, exactly?" He took a deep breath, preparing for the worst.

She hesitated then steadily replied, "The Imitation Alice." He breathed out, narrowing his eyes.

"The _what_?" He had never heard of that before, and in his profession he had to know pretty much every alice known to modern man, so why…?

"The Imitation Alice… It means I can copy other alices; it's just like it sounds." She gazed at him, a daring twinkle in her eye. He contemplated for a moment before responding.

"Do you have to see an alice to use it?"

She cocked her head to the side and her lips curled up a bit.

"Ah, if only it were that easy," she murmured, "But alas, the only way I can get a new ability is by having it first used on myself."

Natsume went rigid. A thought had just occurred to him.

"Then how did you get the nullification alice?"

She furrowed her eyebrows and gave him a disappointed look.

"Didn't I just say that I have to have it used on myself in order to get it? Honestly, I thought you were much, _much_ more intellig-"

"Yes, yes, but _how_ did you get it? The only person in existence that has the nullification alice is ..." He stopped himself, trying to figure out how to word his thoughts without giving away Sakura's name. Finally, he concluded, "...Is a person you can't possibly know."

She gave him a quizzical stare, and indignantly replied, "Well, why not? I dare say I've known both of them my whole life. Well, one of them I've known for _her_ whole life, but anyw-"

"_Both_ of them?" Natsume interjected, eyes going wide. Everything he had ever heard or gathered about the last person to have Mikan's alice seemed to point to them being dead. While he was quite sure it had been a woman - and that was really only a hypothesis - he had never heard of her being alive.

"Why, yes, _both_," she calmly stated, studying his features, "And you obviously have done your research, haven't you? I take it that you know the younger one - an acquaintance, perhaps? Well, no, that can't be right," she pressed her forefingers to her temples, "You know too much about the older one for you to just be an acquaintance. You must be close... And wow, you really spent a lot of time in that library at your school, didn't you? Gakuen Arisu, is it? Ah! I know a few of your teach-"

"Are you reading my thoughts?" Natsume demanded, staring at her in anger.

"What?!" She glared at him in contempt, "I would never read someone's thoughts! Those are far too personal!!!" She paused before continuing, "...No, no, I'm reading your _mind_, silly child. I'm looking at your information database, trying to figure out what you know and what you don't know." He opened his mouth to speak again, but she held up her hand, "Not your _personal_ memories, just your regular ones. Breathe, I won't go snooping about if it doesn't have something to do with my mission - this alice takes too much energy for me to waste it like that." As she lowered her hand, Natsume let out the air that had been held in his mouth. Apparently she knew how to silence people, as well. This woman would be tricky to deal with...

"Hmm... Okay, so it seems you know Mikan-chan. Well, at least you're not her enemy - with your alice you are a very valuable ally..." She noted astonishment replacing the anger in his eyes and decided not to mention the intimate relationship the two seemed to share. No use getting him mad, again.

"...You called her Mikan-chan? How do you know her?" He looked intent, determined, and extremely protective, but she just smiled.

"Dear child, I knew her before either of you were born. Her mother is a dear, dear friend of mine, God protect her, as well as her husband - Mikan's father. Until recently, we had a schedule that assured that at least one of us was watching Mikan at all times..." She paused and looked down, tears welling in her eyes for just a moment before she blinked them away.

"...Until recently?" Natsume really didn't like where this conversation was headed - he had finally found someone who knew about Mikan's heritage, and now she was distraught just from talking about it. This couldn't mean anything good.

She took a deep breath, exhaling shakily. "Until my older brother, Edward, died," she whispered breathlessly, explaining, "My brother... Ed is Mikan's father, you see? And Maria… I haven't seen her in over five years... I do hope she's alright." Natsume gazed at her for a moment.

Dropping his eyes, he quietly responded, "But Mikan doesn't even know you exist." The woman looked up at him and furrowed her brow, unsure. He continued, "To her, the only father she's ever known is her grandfather. Maybe Narumi-sensei, too, but that's all. She mentioned once that she would like to know more about her mother, but that's all she said." The woman stared at him, jaw slightly lowered.

"That's impossible...! I personally sent in one of my own men - one of our men - and he _promised_ us that he would tell her the truth! He's a very close friend of ours, there's no way that he wouldn't! Why, he even became her martial arts teacher and everything!"

Natsume's heart seemed to stop. _Her martial arts teacher? Shishou?!_ He took a deep breath, steadying himself. _Think,_ he demanded to himself,_ Think, think, THINK! Why would Shishou not tell Mikan something so important? What other possibility is there? There's no way that Shishou is really against us - that he's been teaching Mikan but is really a traitor. Why would he teach her how to fight when he's actually against her? There would be no point. And she _knows_ how to fight, too. There's no mistaking that..._ He collected his thoughts slowly and carefully before speaking.

"...Is there any reason he wouldn't have told her?" Mikan's aunt was pacing her room, but she quickly came back and grabbed the bars fervently. She opened her mouth to speak, then stopped and looked up as though a light bulb was turning on. She grinned, realization and hope back on her features.

"Well, there is _one_ reason," she grinned mischievously, chuckling before continuing, "That sly punk, I can't believe he really did it! It's almost impossible, but it's really the only way he wouldn't tell her. And now, meeting you here, why, it makes such perfect sense. And you know so much about her, too, so obviously…" She trailed off, obviously excited about something.

"What?" Natsume demanded, curious, "What is it?" She smiled and looked up at him.

"He managed to find her a-"

There was a loud crash, and the two of them turned to see the hallway walls collapsing inward. What was worse, the tidal wave of falling rock seemed to be coming straight to them!

"Grab my hand!" The woman yelled, thrusting her arm through the bars. Natsume stared at her in complete confusion. There was no way that she was scared, not with those fighting eyes, so why…?

"Grab my hand, _now_!" She demanded again, and this time he didn't think to question it. Shoving his arm into the hallway, he stretched to reach her with all his might. Right when the rocks started to fall around them, their fingertips touched and _WOOSH_! There was no trace of either of them left.

Mikan dusted herself off as she carefully stood from her kneeling position. Somewhere close there had just been a serious earthquake, and it had rippled its way to her spot in the middle of the sandy dunes she was standing in. Strange… She had been in the snow only a little while ago, but now everywhere she looked was the tan color of sand. Pulling her backpack a little tighter to her shoulders, she turned to the direction of the origin of the quake, gingerly nurturing her right ankle with each step.

Nearly an hour passed before anything of importance came into view. She paused atop one of the dunes to examine it, studying the layout of the now collapsed building. It looked like it was supposed to be a church, but with the walls collapsed she could see that it was a dungeon. Surveying it for only a moment longer, she started her way towards it. She had been trying to find a way to leave her friends without them catching on, but now she wouldn't even have to! She bit her bottom lip, thinking that they would probably forget about her soon.

"I imagine they won't even come to look for me," she muttered under her breath, a heavy sigh escaping her lips. "I was trying to get rid of them, but now I miss them already. How will I ever survive without them…? Maybe if I could just see them - just once more - without them even knowing I was watching them. Sometime when they're out having fun or doing something great," determination filled her voice and she raised her chin with a stubborn grin, declaring, "I won't miss any of their best moments!"

"Well, I would hope not."

Mikan jumped, spinning around and stepping away from the speaker at the same time, tripping over her own feet and falling backward. Standing in front of her was a older man with dark hair and pale blue eyes.

"Shishou! You… What? Why? _How?_" She stared in complete adoration and amazement, sadness and doubts instantly fading away.

"Why? To protect you, of course! I might have taught you most - maybe all - that you need to protect others, but honestly, you are years away from finally learning to protect yourself," he finished with a grin, dropping his hand in front of her. She grabbed it and he pulled her up, both ignoring the sand covering her.

"But… But, hey!" She propped her hands on her waist, proudly cocking her head up a bit, "I'll have you know that I defeated four - not one or two - _four_ highly trained men just a bit ago!"

He chuckled, "In an effort to protect yourself, or to save your dear friend Hotaru from certain death in the freezing temperatures of the snow?" Mikan paused, considering this.

"Well… Well, I guess maybe to protect Hotaru, but she wasn't even there."

He nodded, "I know, I saw the whole thing. Actually, I was with Hotaru until she went right past you. I was shocked that you didn't notice her, Mikan," he chided sarcastically, but Mikan knew there was truth to his words, "You really should have been paying more attention to your surroundings."

"…So… How long have you been with us, exactly?" She timidly looked up at him, waiting.

"Since you left school. I couldn't very well leave my student on her own - especially when she's still lacking in the common sense area," he teased. She gently shoved his shoulder with a smile. "But about this 'get rid of them' business, hmm? What's going on in that head of yours, Mikan?" When she remained silent, eyes darting to the ground, he sighed. "I suppose you could tell me while we move, as it's really not safe in this area. And there's someone near that I've been meaning to see in quite a long time, so if we could continue on. I do expect you to explain this to me as we walk, though, Mikan-chan. I hope you have come to trust me enough to do that."

Mikan nodded numbly and the two started walking, her voice fading into the distance as she talked.


End file.
